The ability of a computing device to process complex equations is useful in a broad range of fields, including technical fields that use their own languages with specific symbols and syntaxes. For example, proprietary software tools, like LaTeX, MathML, and Chemical ML are used to solve complex mathematical and chemical problems. Any language, whether technical or not, may include structures such as statements, which are composed of symbols. For example, in the English language, a sentence is a statement that contains symbols of words with their associated meanings. Similarly, in the technical language of mathematics, mathematical formulas are statements with symbols for various constants, mathematical functions, etc. In chemistry, chemical equations are described using a language formed using a combination of symbols from the Periodic Table of the Elements; numeric values that can appear in subscript or superscript form; and symbols that represent the phases and the operations of each chemical term. The symbols of elements may be paired with numbers that represent the number of atoms of that element in a particular molecule.
Entering technical formulas into computers is challenging because these formulas may be complex. Further, the symbols of such languages may not translate to equivalents that can be readily entered into typical computer input devices. For example, it may be cumbersome to type written language equivalents of complex mathematical functions on a typical keyboard or touch screen. The range of possible symbols may also be too wide and diverse as to make it impractical and burdensome to fit into the standard computer input device.